It only took us ~3.5 hours to get to the coast, but the drive was a bit disheartening as we passed through sapphire mining towns and barren landscapes with very possibly the worst poverty and exploitation we’ve seen. This was highlighted when we stopped at a village to give away all our empty water bottles we had been collecting over the last few weeks. The local villagers use them to store water and local rum, brewed from sugar, which is then sold roadside. There was a mad scramble as our driver got out to give the bottles away, highlighting how precious even an empty water bottle can be in this part of the world.
We spent the night at the hotel connected to the Arboretum d’Antsokay. It was a very interesting place with lots of plant species, chameleons, tortoises and mouse lemurs (which we saw on a night walk).
There’s been a fairly serious outbreak of the plague (Black Death) in the capital city and on the east coast so we’re not only hoping to avoid catching anything, but are a little worried that it might be difficult to get out of the country next week as travel restrictions are possible. Fingers crossed as we’re looking forward to exploring Reunion and Mauritius next.Read more
MadagascarSakamalio22°27’56” S 45°15’43” E
MadagascarSakamalio22°27’56” S 45°15’43” E